Self-centered : They naturally believe their needs and wants should come first.
Resilient : They are able to recover quickly from setbacks. (ie: irrepressible)
Full of energy : They keep going, and going, and going.

They need all these qualities to grow up, which is hard work!

These qualities make them:

• Valuable: They have great importance and usefulness to me.
• Vulnerable: They are open to harm (physically and emotionally) and easily persuaded.
• Imperfect: They are lacking. They have faults and make mistakes.
• Dependent: They rely on me and trust me to support them physically, emotionally and financially.
• Immature: They are not fully developed.

I’m learning from the recent posts at Under Much Grace to value the inherent character and traits of childhood. When I say value, I mean that these traits have worth in the function of raising a child to be an adult; that there is merit to allowing the child to experience the trait; and that it is important not to steal these traits of childhood from them. They are vital tools on the road to independence. When I say I’m learning, I mean, I have not valued these traits, but I am beginning to understand their importance to the raising of healthy adults. I am changing.

“It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.” Luke 17:1-2